We just arrived back from a whirlwind 8 days at Walt Disney World and aboard Disney Cruise Line’s reimagined ship, Wonder. Readjusting to life outside of Disney is hard, y’all! I’m still waiting on turn-down service and free room service. So far, it’s not happening. But as I’m thinking back on our magical time at Disney, I can’t help but want to write about some of the things that helped us make the most of our time on vacation. Like the newly offered Express Transportation at Disney World.
Before I tell you how much this helped us maximize our time in the parks, I just wanted to point out that we purchased and paid for this upgrade and have not been compensated to write about it. I know how expensive vacations are, and how important it is to make the most of your time, so I thought you might be interested in this new, express way to get from park to park.
Express Transportation at Disney World
Express Transportation at Walt Disney World is an option you can add on to your park hopper tickets for an additional fee. If you don’t have park hopper tickets, you can not use Express Transportation. By adding Express Transportation to your park hopper ticket, you can add much more fun to your days at the parks.
The purchase of Express Transportation at Disney World allows you to breeze between all 4 theme parks with fast, nonstop service that drops you inside the main gates — and closer to the magic — so you can start playing right away. Instead of dropping you off at the entrance to the parks, Express Transportation takes you directly to the drop-off location inside of the theme park you want to visit next — without multiple bag checks and no waiting to reenter at the gate.
It doesn’t matter which of the four theme parks you’re at. When you’re ready to head to another park, make your way to the Express Transportation check-in location, where a Cast Member will escort you to your VIP transportation vehicle.
Where is Express Transportation Located in the Parks?
It varies from park to park. But you will always leave and re-enter through a backstage location. You’ll definitely feel like a VIP.
- Magic Kingdom park: near the exit of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Epcot: the east side of Spaceship Earth
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: the courtyard in front of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom park: near the entrance to Kilimanjaro Safaris
Each location at each of the parks will be staffed by a Cast Member when Express Transportation is running. It doesn’t start running until 10:00am each morning and runs until about 8:00pm each night. Each location has a table with a green umbrella and an Express Transportation sign out front. If you’re not looking for it you might miss it. But once we knew what we were looking for it was easy to spot.
How Does Express Transportation at Disney World Work?
Once you’ve purchased Express Transportation it is linked to your Magic Band (or card). When you approach an Express Transportation kiosk, you will be asked which park you want to go to, your Magic Band will be scanned and you will be escorted to a bus, or waiting location. A VIP bus departs about every 30 minutes. IMPORTANT TIP: When you enter a park, ask the departing times for the park you want to go to next so that you aren’t wasting time waiting around for the next departure. You’ll want to ask at each park because the times are different depending on the park you’re at.
How Much Does Express Transportation at Disney World Cost?
Remember: Express Transportation tickets are only available to Guests holding valid theme park admission with the Park Hopper Option and to Walt Disney World Annual Passholders.
Guest 2 and under will not be charged a fee. The same fee applies for everyone age 3 and beyond.
- Single-day ticket is $15 per person and is only valid for the date of purchase.
- Multi-day ticket is $24 and is valid for up to 7 consecutive days beginning on the date of purchase.
Where Do I Buy Express Transportation Tickets?
You can purchase Express Transportation at Disney World at:
- all 4 theme park ticket windows and Guest Relations
- Disney Springs ticket window
- Disney Resort hotel concierge locations
- Walt Disney World Swan Hotel and Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel ticket desks
- Kiosks at Express Transportation check-in locations
We purchased ours at a kiosk in Animal Kingdom and it was quick and painless. When you purchase at a kiosk in the parks, they can only accept credit cards. I’m not sure how it works at the other locations. We’re usually an all cash family, but thankful we happened to have carried a card that day.
Would I purchase Express Transportation at Disney World Again?
Absolutely! For our vacation it only added $120 to the total cost. For the luxury it provides, I’ll pay that any day. For most of our trip, we were the only family on the bus going from park to park. We saw other families using it, they just happened to be going to different parks than us. It was a nice time to sit down (or lay down) and recharge for the next park.
Planning a Disney World vacation can be a lot of fun but can also be a whole lot of stress, too. Relieve some of the stress at the parks by purchasing Express Transportation! It’s definitely worth it.
Here are some other helpful posts for your Disney World vacation planning:
Snacks to Pack for Disney World
Tips for Hard to Get Dining Reservations
robin masshole mommy says
When we go, we do one park a day, so for the of us I am not sure it would be worth it. For people going to multiple parks in a day – I totally get it.
Chelley says
I didn’t even know there was an express pass! I think this would be great for us! We are going next summer!
Catherine Sargent says
This sounds like a great option to save time. I will keep this is mind the next time we go to Disney.
Jeanine says
Such a great option! We’ve never done Disney but I would love to and see what we can do! This is a great thing to know! Would be helpful for us!
Mistee Dawn says
It does sound like a really great option! I will definitely keep this is mind for our next Disney trip!
Alicia says
We just went to Disney for the first time in October but I didn’t see anything about this there. It looks like a great option that I’ll have to remember for next time!
Catherine Sargent says
I agree, it does look like a great option. We go to Disney a couple times a year and this is something we would use.
Our Family World says
We are hoping to go in Disney this coming April, my kids and my wife so excited about that.
valmg @ Mom Knows It All says
I hadn’t heard of this before. I have hopped a bit and we managed on the free transportation. I do prefer to do one park per day though.
Gingermommy says
Having visited and not used this, I was already planning on purchasing a ticket next time. At the end of the day, you are so tired and this would be so helpful
Divya says
I think that’s a pretty decent price to pay to avoid all those crowds at the entrance. I just went to Universal Studios over Christmas break and I think that the crowds at the front were the most frustrating part!
Jill Robbins says
As a Disney newbie, I wish I’d have fully grasped this service before our recent trip. We were pressed for time and experienced extra long waits for the regular buses a couple of times. If you’re trying to “power Disney” I think the express transportation would be worth it.
Maria says
For someone like me with a health condition, being able to seamlessly have transportation between each park would help a lot. I appreciate all this information.
Melanie Burbage says
Hm, never heard of this . Plenty of my friends go there I wonder if they even know about that! Sounds like a good way to save a little time possibly
Natasha Durst says
I was wondering about this! I think I’ll will definitely do this next time!! Thank you!
Tami Qualls says
I did not know they had express transportation at Disney World. We missed out because we had to walk everywhere.
Sapana V says
Thanks for sharing the useful information. I will keep it in mind while visiting the Disney World.